Kara Avery, SHRM-CP
Summary
Flexible and highly-effective Human Resources Leader delivering successful strategies to meet strategic priorities and resolve complex situations in start-up, growth, and mature organizations. Knowledgeable in building and maintaining employment compliance. Developed enterprise wide training programs and facilitated culture workshops. Solid background in team design, job architecture, system implementations, and vendor management.
Overview
16
16
years of professional experience
Work History
Employee Relations Manager
Carbon Health Technologies
04.2021 - 09.2023
- Served as advocate to 2400 employees across 49 states and trusted advisor to all levels of leadership; provided thought partnership for strategic talent management.
- Created culture of compliance by launching comprehensive employee handbook, formal disciplinary and investigation process, and maintained communication of all policies and procedures through employee portal.
- Managed and resolved complex investigations and served as liaison with employment counsel; meditated complex employee relations including all ethics hotline reports and title XII concerns; resolved escalating conflicts among stakeholders; developed actionable plans to address identified trends.
- Refined HR policies to enable leaders scope of control.
- Championed change management and engaged mid-level leaders in team development workshops.
- Solid knowledge of project management; able to manage large organizational staffing actions.
- Served as People Business Partner to specialized national unit of medical professionals for pandemic services; mentored junior HR Professionals.
Director of Total Rewards, HRIS, and Compensation
HSS
03.2020 - 04.2021
- Lead team of 7 supporting payroll, benefits, and frontline HR support for employees and leaders maintaining 24-hour operations.
- Created knowledge base for broad HR support, compliance, and leaves of absence; created COVID-19 specific resource manual to enhance employee support.
- Project managed modernization of policies, processes, benefits, and delivery of employee support.
- Created job architecture, recommended successful approaches to help resolve complaints with salaries and classifications; completed annual benchmarking and surveys.
- Created employee education programs to improve understanding of benefits packages and increase utilization.
- Lead continuous improvement initiatives; design, develop, and deliver analytics to identify gaps and measure effectiveness of new processes.
Director, Human Resources
Rocky Mountain Healthcare Companies
10.2019 - 02.2020
- Worked closely with organizational leadership and board of directors to guide operational strategy.
- Provided HR policy guidance and interpretation to 400 employees in greater Denver market; delivered consultation, guidance, and coaching to appropriately address employee behavior and performance concerns.
- Coordinated recruitment and onboarding for companywide hires; conducted staffing assessment, revised postings, and adjusted hiring initiatives to close vacancies.
- Processed biweekly payroll and cyclical compliance reporting.
- Lead annual benefits renewal, implementation of new plan designs, and annual open enrollment.
- Administered compensation management and created job descriptions, FLSA audits, and developed role pricing process.
Lead People Business Partner
Transamerica Life Insurance Company
09.2007 - 10.2019
- Acted as advocate to employees and trusted advisor to business unit leaders; provide thought partnership for strategic planning in organizational design, culture, and enabling functional transformation.
- Drove culture of performance, results, and positive employee relations, working across HR centers of excellence and HR teams.
- Provided HR policy guidance and interpretation to managers and employees; deliver consultation, guidance and coaching to appropriately address employee behavior and performance concerns.
- Administered, engage and advise management on practices for total rewards compensation programs; execute pay/bonus programs and manage exceptions.
- Managed and resolved employee concerns and successfully conclude complex investigations to include ADA, FMLA, grievances, physical threat, and ethics complaints.
- Successfully resolved highly complex workplace concerns, diagnosing support needs and creating solutions for talent management and talent development.
Education
Graduate Certificate - Human Resources
Cornell University
Ithaca, NYBachelor Of Science - Organizational Management
Warner University
Lake Wales, FLSkills
- Compliance : ADAAA medical and Religious employment accommodations, leaves of absence, and policy development Developed a comprehensive national handbook and lead HR compliance audits; created complaint corrective action processes and templates; automated compliance acknowledgments with in HRIS to centralize recordkeeping
- HR Transformation : Implementing modernized HR processes, cross functional workflows, team design, and technology solutions
- Human Resource Systems : WorkDay, CultureAmp, Paycor, ADP, PeopleSoft, Taleo, Lawson HRMS, eWorkplace, and Kronos
- Compensation Tools: Payscale and ERI Economic Research Institute
- Employee Engagement : Created web based volunteer program, led reward and recognition program, and facilitated leadership workshops; planned employee events: company picnic, formal holiday party, and employee appreciation days
- Affinity Group Experience : coordinated location specific Pride, Generations, and Multicultural affinity groups; Former Florida Diversity Council Board Member
- Volunteer Experience : led volunteer initiatives by organizing an annual United Way Campaign, United Way Day of Caring, maintained site charitable contributions budget & coordination of sponsored events from golf tournaments to off-site event such as Habitat for Humanity builds
Timeline
Employee Relations Manager
Carbon Health Technologies
04.2021 - 09.2023
Director of Total Rewards, HRIS, and Compensation
HSS
03.2020 - 04.2021
Director, Human Resources
Rocky Mountain Healthcare Companies
10.2019 - 02.2020
Lead People Business Partner
Transamerica Life Insurance Company
09.2007 - 10.2019
Graduate Certificate - Human Resources
Cornell University
Bachelor Of Science - Organizational Management
Warner University
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